Moon Sang-min Reflects on His Role in 'Beloved Bandit' and His Rising Popularity

"In the midst of a tense scene, we were exchanging lines quickly, trying to figure out how to wrap it up urgently, and that's how Yeol ended up kissing. Maybe that's why the scene felt more thrilling. Personally, I wish it had lasted a bit longer."

Recently, Moon Sang-min, the male lead of 'Beloved Bandit,' sat down for a roundtable interview at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul. When asked about the much-talked-about kiss scene in episode 14, he shared this insight. A reporter jokingly commented that the scene seemed long enough, to which Moon Sang-min responded with a shy smile, "Did it?"

He recalled, "The filming location was a fabric shop. A lot of time and effort went into setting it up, and the art director put a lot of work into the space. When I stepped onto the set, it felt surreal. After our first kiss scene, there was hardly any physical contact. It had been a while, so I wanted to cherish it and do it well."

Premiering on January 3, KBS2's 'Beloved Bandit' tells the story of a woman who becomes the greatest thief and a Joseon prince who chases her, only for their souls to switch, leading them to save each other and ultimately protect the people. Moon Sang-min plays the role of Prince Yi Yeol, opposite Nam Ji-hyun's character, Hong Eun-jo, in this epic romance. The show, which had been struggling with ratings around 1%, saw a resurgence, achieving a peak rating of 7.7% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea.

Moon Sang-min has been proving his rising popularity, recently being cast as the lead in 'Beauty and the Beast' and receiving a special appearance offer for the new drama 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store.' Known for his impressive 191cm stature and delicate features, along with his stable acting skills, he has been well-received in both 'Beloved Bandit' and 'Pavane.'

Born in 2000, Moon Sang-min began his acting career in late 2019 with the web drama 'The Four Reasons I Hate Christmas.' He made a mark in 2022 with his role as Prince Seongnam, the son of Kim Hye-soo, in 'Under the Queen's Umbrella.' He has since starred in 'Wedding Impossible' and 'Cinderella at 2 AM,' sharing on-screen romances with Jeon Jong-seo and Shin Hyun-bin, respectively. This year, he portrayed a romantic chemistry with Nam Ji-hyun, who is five years his senior.

Moon Sang-min expressed his deep interest and sense of responsibility towards acting. He shared, "I'm usually calm and don't have much emotional fluctuation, which sometimes makes me feel lethargic. But seeing the reactions to my work, whether positive or negative, reminds me why I do this."

"Thanks to the viewers, I feel more motivated. I want to improve on the things I find lacking and enhance the parts I did well. Without acting, I think I would have lived a monotonous life. But this job makes me more flexible and active, and I'm happy because of it."

After successfully completing his role, Moon Sang-min displayed humility rather than pride. He admitted, "I'm grateful for the love and support, but when I monitor my performance, I see more areas for improvement. There are still many things I'm not good at. I often question why I acted a certain way or why my expressions seemed awkward."

He continued, "As the series progresses, I become more natural, but I often feel awkward in the early episodes. My big challenge is to fully embody the character from the start so that viewers can believe in it, and I feel it's something I must achieve."

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr